Printing apparatus and system capable of judging whether print result is successful

Abstract

The printing apparatus includes: a printing device which prints onto a prescribed print medium; a print result prediction device which predicts a print result on the print medium and accordingly outputs print result prediction data including image region print result prediction data for an image region and text region print result prediction data for a text region, the image region and the text region being recognized as an image and a text, respectively, by a person viewing a correct print result, the text region print result prediction data including a text code; an image reading device which optically reads in the print result on the print medium and accordingly outputs print result read data, the image reading device being disposed on a downstream side of a printing position of the print medium and on an upstream side of an output position of the print medium in a conveyance path along which the print medium is conveyed; and a print result judgment device which judges a printing failure on the print medium in accordance with the print result prediction data outputted from the print result prediction device and the print result read data outputted from the image reading device.

1. A printing apparatus, comprising:
 a printing device which prints onto a prescribed print medium; 
 a print result prediction device which predicts a print result on the print medium in accordance with print subject image data and a printing condition of the printing device, and accordingly creates and outputs print result prediction data including image region print result prediction data for an image region and text region print result prediction data for a text region, the image region and the text region being recognized as an image and a text, respectively, by a person viewing a correct print result, the text region print result prediction data including a text code; 
 an image reading device which optically reads in the print result on the print medium and accordingly outputs print result read data, the image reading device being disposed on a downstream side of a printing position of the print medium and on an upstream side of an output position of the print medium in a conveyance path along which the print medium is conveyed; 
 a print result judgment device which judges whether the print result on the print medium is successful or unsuccessful in accordance with the print result prediction data outputted from the print result prediction device and the print result read data outputted from the image reading device, 
 wherein the print subject image data includes at least one of text region image data for the text region and image region image data for the image region, and 
 the print result prediction device creates the print result prediction data while taking into account print quality data which includes region information for mutually separating the image region and the text region in a print content, the image region image data of the print content, and a text string composed of a code sequence that indicates a content of the text region of the print content; and 
 an extraction device which separately extracts, in accordance with the region information, image region print result read data for the image region and text region print result read data for the text region from the print result read data obtained by reading in the print result on the print medium by the image reading device, 
 wherein the print result judgment device makes a comparison between the image region print result read data extracted from the print result read data and the image region print result prediction data in the print result prediction data, and judges whether the print result on the print medium is successful or unsuccessful in accordance with result of the comparison. 
 
     
     
       2. The printing apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the print result judgment device makes a second comparison between the text region print result read data extracted from the print result read data and the text region print result prediction data in the print result prediction data, and judges whether the print result on the print medium is successful or unsuccessful in accordance with result of the second comparison. 
     
     
       3. A printing apparatus, comprising:
 a printing device which prints onto a prescribed print medium; 
 a print result prediction device which predicts a print result on the print medium in accordance with print subject image data and a printing condition of the printing device, and accordingly creates and outputs print result prediction data including image region print result prediction data for an image region and text region print result prediction data for a text region, the image region and the text region being recognized as an image and a text, respectively, by a person viewing a correct print result, the text region print result prediction data including a text code; 
 an image reading device which optically reads in the print result on the print medium and accordingly outputs print result read data, the image reading device being disposed on a downstream side of a printing position of the print medium and on an upstream side of an output position of the print medium in a conveyance path along which the print medium is conveyed; 
 a print result judgment device which judges whether the print result on the print medium is successful or unsuccessful in accordance with the print result prediction data outputted from the print result prediction device and the print result read data outputted from the image reading device; 
 a data storage device which stores the print subject image data, the print result prediction data and the print result read data; and 
 a data erasure device which, when the print result judgment device has judged the print result on the print medium successful, erases the print subject image data, the print result prediction data and the print result read data from the data storage device. 
 
     
     
       4. A printing apparatus, comprising:
 a printing device which prints onto a prescribed print medium; 
 a print result prediction device which predicts a print result on the print medium in accordance with print subject image data and a printing condition of the printing device, and accordingly creates and outputs print result prediction data including image region print result prediction data for an image region and text region print result prediction data for a text region, the image region and the text region being recognized as an image and a text, respectively, by a person viewing a correct print result, the text region print result prediction data including a text code; 
 an image reading device which optically reads in the print result on the print medium and accordingly outputs print result read data, the image reading device being disposed on a downstream side of a printing position of the print medium and on an upstream side of an output position of the print medium in a conveyance path along which the print medium is conveyed; 
 a print result judgment device which judges whether the print result on the print medium is successful or unsuccessful in accordance with the print result prediction data outputted from the print result prediction device and the print result read data outputted from the image reading device; 
 a data storage device which stores the print subject image data, the print result prediction data and the print result read data; 
 a data erasure device which, when the print result judgment device has judged the print result on the print medium successful, erases the print subject image data, the print result prediction data and the print result read data from the data storage device; and 
 a print result invalidation device which, when the print result judgment device has judged the print result on the print medium unsuccessful, performs an invalidation print onto an image having been printed on the print medium in such a manner that the image having been printed becomes invalidated, 
 wherein after the print result invalidation device has performed the invalidation print, the printing device is enabled to print an image same with the image having been invalidated.